Ore-washer



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BARBER AND BUROHARD H. A. SIEFKEN, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

ORE-WASH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,706, dated September 6, 1881.

Application filed March 31, 1881.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, ROBERT BARBER an BURCHARD H. A. SIEFKEN, of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented a new Improvement in Ore-Washers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. V

The object of our invention is the production of a machine which will separate from anriferous sand or earth 'the fine as well as the larger particles of gold with the use of only a small quantity of water.

The invention consists, principally, of a washing-tank communicating with a tailing-tank, in which revolves a wheel provided with pivoted or swinging scoops or buckets for removing the tailings without unnecessary waste of .water, thewashing-tank being provided with suitable conveyers, riffles, and amalgamated plates; also, in the construction and arrangement of the parts of the machine, as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of our invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, a portion of the sizing-cylinder being broken away. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the hopper and water-supply pipe, and Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the tailing-tank and the elevating-wheel, taken on line 00 a: of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the washing-tank, which is preferably formed of the two concave sections a a. In the center of each of these sections are placed the screw-conveyers B B, and upon both sides of each section are secured the amalgamated plates 1) b, the edges of which are contiguous to the edges of the conveyers, and in the bottom of the sections are placed the rifiles or mercury-traps c c. The end of each section of the washing-tank communicates with the tailing-tank 0 through suitable openings, (1 d, in the partition between the tanks, as shown in Fig. 4. The elevating skeleton wheel D, which revolves in the tailingtank 0, has the series of pivoted or swinging triangular scoops or buckets e e pivotedloosely in and between the parallel sides f f thereof upon the pivots e e,which are of greater length than the width of the wheel. The scoops or (No model.)

buckets e e are of less width than the wheel,

and during a portion of the revolution of the wheel rest upon the 'studs or projections i 17, formed or secured upon the inside of the side piece,f, which support the buckets in position for taking up the tailings from the bottom of the tank and holding the same until the buckets successively reach the top or edge of the tank, at which point the minor ends of the pivots e 6 come in contact with the shifting wheel or guide F, secured to the side of the tailing-tank, which causes the buckets to be moved off from the projections i and to empty their contents upon the chute I. The buckets, as they descend into the tank, are again moved in the wheel to engage with the studs 1' by the oppdsite ends of the pivots c 0 coming in contact with the guide G, secured to the opposite side and end of the tailing-tank, as shown.

The sizer H, adapted to revolve upon suitable an ti-friction rollers, h h, above the washingtank, is formed of the double screens 9 9, secured to the annular head-platesjj, the spiral conveyer kbein ginterposed between the screws, and the eonveyer k being secured upon the inside of the inner screen, for conveying the material through the screen as the same is revolved. The annular head-platesjj are formed with the large collars l l, which form the journals upon which the screen is revolved and the openings by which the material is fed to and discharged from the cylinder.

The hopper K is preferably semicircular in form, and of such size relative to the size of the collar 1 as to fit the inside of it, as shown in Fig. 2. The vertical end piece of the hop per is provided with small holes, through which the nipples a n of the water-supply pipe N pass, The supply-pipe N is preferably formed with the branch pipes a a, for distribution of the water supplied to the hopper.

In operation, motion being imparted by any suitable means to the screen, the screw-conveyer, and the elevating-wheel, the metalliferous earth or sand is thrown into the hopper, from whence it is carried forward by the watersupplyinto-the interior of the revolving screen, which separates from the mass the large stones and undisintegrated lumps which are unsuita ble for washing and discharges the same upon the chute L, while the material suitable for Washing passes with the water into the washing-tank. The agitation caused by the screwconveyer causes the pulp to circulate in contact with the amalgamated plates, and a gradual flow from the washing-tank into the tailingtank, from whence the same is discharged by the scoops or buckets of the elevating-\vheel.

It will be observed, owing to the buckets of the wheel being triangular in form and supported in the periphery of the wheel, as described and shown, that before the buckets reach the chute or point of discharge they are brought to a position to gradually pour back over the rear part of the bucket the superna tant water which may be taken up by them.

The jets of water supplied to the hopper prevents the clogging of the hopper and obviates the necessity of any shaking or other hopper-clearing mechanism, and also facilitates the disintegrating and screening of the material.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a washing-tank and a tailingtank, ot' a wheel having rotary scoops in the tailing-tank, and conveyers, riffles. and amalgamated plates in the washingtank, substantially as shown and described.

2. The washing-tank formed of the concave sections a a, in combination with the screwcouveyers B B, ritfies c c, and amalgamated plates 1) b, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The elevating-wheel formed of the side pieces, f f the side piece f being provided with the projections i, in combination with the sliding pivoted buckets c e, and means, substantially as described, for shifting the buck ets, as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with revolving buckets having pivots c, of the guides F G, arranged as shown and described.

ROBERT BARBER. BURCHARl) HENRY ADOLPII SIEFKEN.

\Vitnesses J. W. ScHoELPLY, F. M. SOHWALMBERG. 

